From the Other Sideline – Kentucky

Taylor Sorrels (Twitter) runs the Kentucky/Vanderbilt blog named Anything But Gatorade, whatever that means. You may remember him for being the first person to ever think that the ‘Blogler’s words were good enough to grace his webspace. Sorrels is a self-proclaimed “Stubborn Assed Kentucky Fan Who Will NOT Let Himself Think About Basketball Just Yet.” Well then.

1. What’s the first thing Kentucky fans think of when they think of Auburn football in 2010?

The first thing that comes to my mind is Cam Newton. I haven’t really watched much of Auburn this year myself, but all I seem to hear about is Cam Newton is awesome, Cam Newton saved me thousands on my taxes, Cam Newton’s dating my teenage daughter. Come on, can’t Clint Moseley get some dap?

2. What are the Wildcats’ major concerns for this game and the rest of the season?

How much time do you have? I’d say their poor play-calling, the offense’s sudden generosity with the football, bad defense, terrible defense, inability to tackle a ball carrier, staring down receivers, and wretched defense, if I had to name the MAJOR concerns leading up to this game. As for the rest of the season, given the way the ‘Cats have played their last two games, many of the faithful wonder whether there are three more wins on the schedule, and that schedule includes Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Tennessee, and Charleston Southern.3. Who are two players that the Tigers should look out for and why?

The obvious two are Randall Cobb and Derrick Locke, and for good reason. They’re both really, really good football players that could be on any roster in the country, and that probably includes Alabama (ZING!). But a couple other skill players are also worth noticing, and those are WRs Chris Matthews and LaRod King, both tall, agile receivers. Kentucky can move the ball on offense when it’s not handing it to the defense, and those two guys can pull their weight.

4. Who is your favorite Auburn Tiger and why?

ROWDY GAINES, OLYMPIC MEDALS WHAT!

5. Where do you expect these two teams to struggle/excel against each other?

I expect Kentucky to struggle all over the place, and Auburn to leave cleatmarks all over our backs. I do think Auburn’s secondary, which is very good, will have a long day if Kentucky finds the right mixture of run/pass on offense.

6. What do you think is the best and worst case scenarios for Kentucky this Saturday?

Best case, Kentucky outscores the Tigers and wins a high-octane contest, 45-37 or something stupid. Worst case, 48-24, Tigers, after Malzahn decides to put in Clint Moseley for the entire second half. Seriously, we are terrible against spread quarterbacks.

7. Where do you see the Wildcats ending up this season?

It’s hard to say. Going into 2010 I thought Kentucky had the chance to win 7-9 games if the chips fell right, but that disaster last week against Ole Miss has seriously reset my expectations. Unless the team can get their collective poop together, they’ll be lucky to win five games. 7 or 8 is still possible, but becoming much less probable.

8. Where do you see the Tigers ending up this season?

Auburn’s only competition is really itself and Alabama. I think Florida, LSU, and Arkansas will be tough games for Auburn, but the only game that’s a probable loss on the schedule is Alabama, and that’s not ironclad by any means.

9. What is your prediction/analysis for the game?

Lots of sadness, angst, and frustration. Also, a football game. Auburn is good, and Kentucky is good at times. It really depends on which Kentucky shows up, and I don’t know the answer to that.

10. Lastly, does it scare you to think about what Auburn is going to do to the Wildcats this weekend? You do realize last year was a fluke right?

While I generally expect to be embarrassed Saturday night, I don’t think Kentucky is necessarily going to lay down in front of their own crowd. The offense makes this team just dangerous enough to keep Auburn honest. Defense will more than likely be our undoing. A Kentucky win will totally be a shocker for me, which is sad considering it’s a home game.